The above is the only safe and sure course which you can pursue with a horse with bad habits. I would here again press upon you when you have him on his knees, to commence patting him under the belly—continue with gentle strokes upon the belly. You will in a few minutes bring him to his knees behind: continue the process and he will lay down and submit himself to your treatment. By proceeding gently you may handle his feet and legs any way you choose. By practising this process a few times, you will find him perfectly gentle and submissive, and will generally follow you, and is unwilling to leave you unless he be very wild; the first treatment will answer.—Should you have a very wild horse, and cannot manage him, take the button or horney substance which grows on the back part of the horse’s leg; dry this, pulverize it fine, drop a few drops of oil of roses and a few drops oil cummin; put some of this up his nostrils: this is best done by putting it in a large quill and blowing it up the nostril; feed him with a small portion of it from off your hand, with a little oats; also breathe your breath into his nostrils; by doing this, he will permit you to handle his feet, legs, &c. or permit you to get on his back, or suffer you to handle as you please. By pursuing these courses, and handling occasionally, always letting him know what you want him to do, you will be able to quiet and tame a horse to become perfectly gentle.
RULES FOR A HORSE THAT SHYES.
When you have a horse that shyes or scares at a stump, log or any object that may come in his way, never whip him for it, or attempt to force him up to it or by it. But be easy with him, try and get him up to the object by gentle handling; patting and rubbing him on the neck, shoulders, &c. Finally you will get him up to the object, and he will smell or feel it with his nose. If you pursue this course he will finally forget and give up the habit of scaring. If you wish to satisfy yourself about this course, take a buffalo robe or a red blanket, place your horse in a yard and hold up the robe, moving towards him; he will soon throw up his head, snort and run. Then throw the robe down in the centre of the yard; if frightened he will not rest until he has touched it with his nose; he will soon begin to walk toward the robe and snort, getting a little closer until he touches it with his nose, he will see that it will do him no harm, and finally he will pick it up with his teeth and care nothing about it. This will show you at once that if you can get him up to the object and let him feel it with his nose, he will care nothing about it, and soon forget his scaring, &c.—When you try the robe experiment step up to one side and watch his motions, and he will soon give you the principle upon which he acts. The same course must be pursued in breaking wild colts; go up to it cautiously and by degrees, never rush up to it all at once; be cautious, watch the colt, and if you see that he is frightened at your approach stop a little, and when he becomes quiet approach a little nearer, and so on until he will suffer you to touch his face, then rub him gently the way the hair lays; continue doing this until he will permit you to feel him pretty near all over; then place your halter on him, gently rubbing and feeling him over the face and head. When you have the halter on lead him over the yard cautiously; do not frighten him or whip him. Never whip unless he is very stubborn and does not fear you, then you should give him a few sharp cuts with the whip about his hind legs so as it will crack sharp and cause him to fear you. After you have him started feel his face, fore legs, &c. a good deal more than you have whipped him, then he will soon become fond of you again. After you have learned him to move off, you may put on the bridle and learn him by gentling him as you did with the halter; you may now put on the saddle, but do it cautiously, feeling him by degrees, then get yourself a block about eighteen inches high, place this by his side and when he gets used to this get up on the block, then put your foot in the stirrup, putting a little of your weight in it by degrees; as soon as you find he will bear it you can get on the saddle and make him move off, but do it all cautiously so as not to frighten him. When you have learned him all this you may next put on the harness, carefully feeling him first, and give him to understand what you want him to do; as soon as he finds out you will not hurt him he will suffer the harness to be put on; now you may hitch him to a light log, and learn him to pull this first; when he does this well use a heavier one, and when he does this all well you can hitch him up in a wagon or sulky, but do it all carefully, and do not frighten him or you may make a bad job of it. The above principle should always be carried out in every thing you wish the horse to learn. You cannot expect a man to do any piece of work for you unless he understands it, or has learned the principle of it, much less can you expect a horse to do something he knows nothing about. If you pursue this course you can soon get the horse to understand what you want him to do, and he will become very fond of you. I will here state that if you have a very stubborn colt or horse, you may use the oil of roses and oil of cummin with the powdered button, which should be blown into his nostrils.
HOW TO DRIVE OR BREAK A KICKING HORSE.
Or horses with bad habits. First take up one fore foot, bend his leg till his hoof is bottom upward, then slip a loop over his knee above the pastern joint to keep it tight. This should be done with a leather strap, forming a loop around the one, and so fixed as to buckle around the other; be careful so as to fasten it so as it cannot slip down or come loose, or you may pass a loop over the leg, and with another strap tie the loop close together, between the leg, so as to prevent it from coming down. This will leave the horse on three legs. You can handle now as you wish, as it is impossible for him to kick whilst his leg is up. This will conquer the horse quicker than any other course which you can pursue, and especially a kicker or one that runs off when he has the chance so to do.
The surest plan for a horse that will attempt to run off as soon as you hitch him up, is to fasten up his leg as directed above or learn him to hop along on three legs awhile, which he will soon learn to do. Exercise him two or three times, in this way fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, or until conquered, allowing his leg to be loosed. When you have learned him to walk in this way, fasten up his leg and put the harness on him and hitch up to sulky. Now you may drive off and need not be fearful of the horse kicking or doing any damage while one foot is up, nor can he kick or run fast enough to do any harm. But you can now drive him as you please. Should he want to run let him have the lines and whip too, with perfect safety; by doing this two or three times you will cure him at once of running off. The horse will be frightened at first, but he will soon see that you do not want to hurt him and will not care anything more about it. You can finally let down the leg and drive off gently without any further trouble.
I will here give you another plan to break or prevent a horse from kicking whilst working him. Loop a strap or rope around the horse’s hind leg, with one end and with the other end fasten around the foreleg, allowing it just long enough for him to make a step, in order to keep the strap from dragging on the ground or being in his way while walking. Pass a strap around his back, letting it pass under his belly and fasten it up in this way; this properly done will soon conquer him, as it is impossible for him to kick whilst the strap is to his legs.
I will still give you another plan to prevent a horse from kicking. Loop a strap around the hind leg; let it pass through between the fore legs, thence through the ring of the bridle bit, allowing the strap just long enough for him to make the step, now fasten the strap. You can now drive off with safety, as it is utterly impossible for him to kick or to do any harm. You should pass a strap around the horse’s back and fasten up the strap or rope to prevent it from dragging on the ground.